Scammed

I’m hypersensitive to being scammed … always on the outlook for anything suspicious; probably too leery for my own good. That’s why I’ve taken over two years to make a decision on purchasing an outdoor nativity scene … not wanting to be taken advantage of on a big purchase that will have to be shipped.

I’ve looked so much that it was no surprise to see continual ads on FB. Facebook being Facebook, I knew I would be hounded in my feed. Also no surprise were the sales ads that started popping up after Christmas. Even My Guy noticed them.

“Maybe it’s time to get one,” he said in a text, having forwarded the same ad I’d been following. I had pestered him so long that he knew it was going to cost him some money at some point … might as well buy it on discount.

I thought I did my homework. I poured through all the comments and feedback … looked at the ratings … same as I’d been doing for two years. Everything looked in order, so I went through with it.

Here’s what I thought I was ordering:

For the final discounted priced of $53.32 (tax included), here is what I got.

That sheep tho! 🤣🤣🤣 It’s okay … you can laugh … I did.

I got mad too, but not until long after I told My Guy on the phone that the much awaited package had arrived and that the whole thing had fit in a slightly larger than legal size box.

“Wait?” They didn’t deliver it to the house?”

“Didn’t need too. They had room for it at the Post Office.”

“Oh oh! Can’t wait to see this,” he knew something was up.

“Yup,” I said. “We were scammed. Actually it’s kinda funny.”

And in the moment, it was. I had been texting the company back and forth, checking on why it was taking so long to arrive, and a little curious that they hadn’t balked about delivering to our town. Sometimes, we have trouble getting stuff on a rural route, especially if it’s an unusual size.

I also had been a little suspicious that they didn’t include tax on the original receipt, but the higher amount did show up on my online bank account.

They answered me quickly tho’ and since it had gone through PayPal, I was okay when they explained.

So … the package came and of course I was feeling taken, so immediately emailed the company and also went back to the original site where I ordered. Apparently a whole lot of other people just received their shipment too. Boy were there a lot of mad … although surprisingly polite … folks.

These shysters were very slick. How did they get us all?

They ripped off another company’s ads and testimonials, BUT in the order blank, they included the measurements of THEIR product … measured in CENTIMETERS.

“No … you got the product you ordered,” the person stated in their email. And technically, they are right.

Can I send it back?

Sure I can. That part of the ripped off advertising is true. But what it doesn’t say is that it’ll cost me $59 to return it. The return shipping isn’t free.

This company has been reported numerous times to the BBB and on FB, but I tell you, they’re slick.

Here’s the original page, they posted on after Christmas.

But they’ve taken off the nativity adds … all you’ll find is hair products and angry comments from other people like me who have caught on to what happened.

Have they disappeared into obscurity? Absolutely not … what these slicksters are doing now is creating new pages under different names, offering the same shady deals. Fortunately, those of us who were ripped off are seeing these ads and speaking out. Maybe we’ll save a few people some grief. The ones who are really gonna hurt are the legit companies, like Outdoor Nativity Sets in Florida who sell the items for real … at least, I think they do … I’m not sure anymore … and who I thought I was buying from in the first place. The difference I’ve noticed is a US location, a twitter account, thousands of followers, and a clearly developed website … and of course … the measurement … that’s definitely differently.

I feel a little stupid, but with so many scams going on right now, I’m glad that at least I didn’t send hundreds of millions of dollars to Nigeria in unemployment benefits (sorry … inside joke for those of us who live in Washington state). But … if I had done that I wouldn’t be writing my blog right now … I’d be working for the Federal government. Now … that does make me a little mad.

Okay … time to stop … veering into politics usually doesn’t end well.

Instead I’ll just keep laughing in hopes of the proverbial she who laughs last laughs loudest … or however, that goes.

Stay well and unscammed, my friends!

Thank you for reading “Small Stuff”.  This is the second of two blogs sites that I keep.  You can find more on my thought&faith blog at rashellbud.wordpress.com. Wishing you a beautiful day full of the Small Stuff that transforms life into BIG STUFF.

A note to my “silent” readers … thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to read my work. I’ve learned that many of you are shy about commenting or hitting the like button, but I want you to know that I appreciate your visits and invite you into the conversations whenever you are ready.

Wishing you peace in all things … Shelly